1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile unit authenticating method, and more specifically to mobile unit authenticating method for authenticating a mobile unit of a user when offering service by receiving or transmitting digital contents between, for example, an installed terminal in a store and a user mobile unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-187763 discloses a cashless vending machine system in which a user can purchase articles by using a charging system authenticated by a carrier. In this vending machine system, when a user inputs his or her password for personal identification on his or her mobile phone, the common carrier can authenticate the user (contractor of the mobile phone) using the password. Then, when the user inputs an identification code of the vending machine on the mobile phone, the common carrier allows the user to purchase the specified article on the vending machine through the identification code of the vending machine. If the user selects an article using an article button, the selected article is served to the user, and the purchase record of the article is transmitted from the vending machine to the common carrier. The common carrier then charges the user the purchase price for the article purchased through the vending machine when the telephone rates are charged.
However, when the conventional billing system of the mobile phone is used, and when cashless printing service, music downloading service, etc. are offered to a mobile unit other than a mobile phone such as a digital camera, a solid state portable stereo (MP3 unit, etc.), etc. from an installed terminal, there is the above mentioned problem that a mobile unit has to be operated with the mobile phone, thereby necessarily performing a complicated operation.